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For awhile now I have been trying to reduce our chemical intake through beauty products. It is a slow process as I have been making new products as we run out of our shop bought items (can’t stand the thought of all that waste!)
One item I have been making and successfully using for some time now is my Coconut Oil Body Scrub. This scrub is amazing! It smells so lovely and has improved the condition of my skin quite drastically. (It tastes pretty good too) I had a red pimply rash on my upper arms which I hated. Since using this scrub it has nearly all gone.
Here it is:

In a bowl mix together all of the ingredients. I don’t warm the coconut oil first, just use it solid and it mixes in very well. I have in the past warmed it first to make it liquid but I found that it separated from the rest of the mix as it returns to its solid state.
It will look all creamy and fluffy almost when combined. It can now go into a jar and is ready to use.

Heat the oil in a large based pan and gently fry the onion until softened.
Add the garlic and fry for about a minute.
Stir in the rice and cost well with the oil.
Pour in the wine and let it bubble, keep stirring.
Once the wine is absorbed gradually add the veg stock. Do it little by little allowing the rice to absorb the stock between additions. Stir regularly.
When you add the last bit of stick add the peas as well.
Add the spinach once the stock is absorbed and stir it in.
When the spinach has wilted take the pan off the heat and add the Parmesan.
Serve and enjoy 🙂

Me and Cliff eat this between us but you could feed a third person if you are not big eaters or you serve it with garlic bread.

Cliff ripped the bum out if his new pyjamas!! It was funny at the time but I couldn’t fix them and didn’t want to just throw them out (really trying to reduce waste). So I decided to turn Cliffs pj bottoms into Eli’s and I transformed a plain top to match. This is how they turned out 🙂

I made the bottoms first. I got a pair of Eli’s pj bottoms, folded them in half and then drew around then on a piece of paper. I added about an inch to the top and bottom and about half an inch to the sides for seams and hems.

I cut out the pattern and then pinned it onto the old bottoms (you can obviously use new fabric!) I folded the fabric and placed the straight edge of the pattern on the fold. Cut it out and repeat for the other leg.
Now I opened out the fabric and placed them together, right sides facing. The rise needs sewing first so I pinned this area together and sewed it together.

Once done I laid them out so they look like trousers and pinned the seam on the inside of the legs. I then sewed this together.

I used the original hem on the bottom of Cliffs pj’s as Eli’s hem so didn’t need to do one with this pair, however you would fold over the fabric twice (half inch each fold) and then pin and sew.

Now I did the waist band. I folded over and pressed about half an inch and then repeated to give a channel for the elastic to live in. I sewed about 3mm from the top and then did the same around the bottom of the channel. Make sure to leave a couple of inches open to feed the elastic through. I pin a safety pin to one end of the elastic and pull it through making sure not to let the other end disappear in!

Finally close the hole and they are done!!

For the pj top I bought a cheap long sleeved, plain to to coordinate with the bottoms. I cut 2 rectangles of the pj bottom material. I turned the top inside out and pinned the rectangles to the top, right side of material facing wrong side of top. Make sure it is only pinned to the front of the top.

I then sewed around each rectangle and turned the top the right way round.

Now I very carefully cut the top fabric from the inside if each rectangle. I found the easiest way to do this was to pull apart both fabrics (you really don’t want to cut through the new piece of fabric!) Then cut from the centre to the each corner. (Don’t go right into the corner or you will cut through the stitching). I then cut about 2/3mm from the stitching so I was left with a small border of top material.

And that’s it pyjamas done 🙂 These pyjamas can be made for any size, child or adult! Happy sewing!

On the organisation front I have been slowly going through things. It is a job I hate…but it must be done. I have sorted out folders for different bits of paper work that just ends up sitting on the kitchen sides for weeks before it gets sorted…usually the bin. 😦 But that has been about it.

There has been a fair sized, sturdy cardboard box floating around the kitchen for a few days and I decided it would be a good size for the toys that live downstairs. They have been just sat in the cupboard we are converting back into a fire place and it always looks a mess.

I took the box, some fabric and glue and got to work. I had all of what I needed left over from other projects so this has effectively cost me nothing! Bonus 🙂

I firstly decided I would keep the top flaps on rather than cut them off as they would strengthen the box a bit more (although it is double walled corrugated so it is pretty sturdy without). So I heated up the glue gun and glued the flaps down on the inside of the box.
Next I realised my material wouldn’t go around in one length so had to use 2 pieces. One length covered just over 3 sides of the 4. I covered one of the long sides and half of the bottom with PVA and carefully lined up the fabric so it was central. I then did this with both ends and about an inch around onto the last side at each end. I made sure to smooth out the fabric as I went to make it nice and flat with no bubbles.
For the other long side I cut a piece of material just slightly wider than the box and ‘hemmed’ it with fabric glue so that it became just slightly narrower than the box.
I then made the bottom nice by folding the fabric into points into the middle and gluing all the pieces that needed it. I then flipped the box and tucked the fabric inside the box and glued it down. The material goes down about half way on the inside.
So this is it finished and filled with toys 🙂

It took less than an hour to complete and I am really pleased with how it turned out.